Nine Defendants Indicted on Drug Charges in Pima County

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Feb. 6, 2008) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced the indictment of nine people on charges related to the sale and transportation of narcotic drugs. Four of the defendants indicted were arrested this morning and booked into Pima County Jail. A fifth person was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana. The remaining defendants have not yet been served with their charges.

According to the indictment, between Dec. 1, 2007 and Jan. 18, 2008, the defendants operated a drug organization that arranged for narcotic drugs to be supplied for distribution in Tucson, arranged for people to sell narcotic drugs and received the proceeds from the sales.

Investigators estimated this organization was allegedly responsible for selling three-quarters of a pound to 1 pound of heroin a week, which amounts to between 500 to 1,000 street level sales a week depending on the size of the purchase.

Defendants indicted in this case and arrested this morning are:

Jimmy Chavez Vaez, 22, of Tucson, was indicted on one count of conspiracy, 16 counts of unlawful use of a wire communication to facilitate a drug-related transaction and four counts of unlawful transportation for sale of a narcotic drug. According to the indictment, Vaez was one of three runners or sellers of the narcotics. If convicted of all charges, Vaez faces up to 73 years in prison.

Natividad Aguilar, 23, of Tucson, was indicted on one count of conspiracy and one count of unlawful use of a wire communication to facilitate a drug-related transaction. According to the indictment, Aguilar was one of three runners or sellers of the narcotics. If convicted of all charges, Aguilar faces up to 13 years in prison.

Estevan Manjarres Lopez, 27, of Tucson, was indicted on one count of conspiracy, 13 counts of unlawful use of a wire communication to facilitate a drug-related transaction and four counts of unlawful transportation for sale of a narcotic drug. According to the indictment, Manjarres Lopez was one of two people responsible for coordinating the runners or sellers of the narcotics, supplying them when they needed additional narcotics and collecting the proceeds from the sales. If convicted of all charges, Lopez faces up to 72 years in prison.

Victor Hugo Aguilar Lopez, 29, of Tucson, was indicted on one count of conspiracy and one count of unlawful use of a wire communication to facilitate a drug-related transaction. According to the indictment, Aguilar Lopez was one of two people responsible for coordinating the runners or sellers of the narcotics. If convicted of all charges, Aguilar Lopez faces up to 22 years in prison.

Diego de la Fuente, 19, of Phoenix, was arrested during the take down operation conducted this morning. Investigators allege that de la Fuente had in his possession more than 200 pounds of marijuana.

The remaining defendants are still at large. Their names will not be released until they are served with the indictment.

During this morning’s operation, investigators found five undocumented immigrants on site. They were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Investigators also discovered a kilo of cocaine, almost two pounds of heroin, a .38 caliber handgun and a shotgun during the arrests. These items were seized as well as several vehicles used by the organization to deliver the drugs.

This indictment is the result of a joint investigation by Drug Enforcement Administration, Oro Valley Police Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Office, Sierra Vista Police Department, Marana Police Department, Counter Narcotics Alliance, Tucson, Tucson Police Department, United States Border Patrol, Arizona Air National Guard and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Assistant Attorney General John Evans is prosecuting this case.